Sunday, September 30, 2007

All my lovely Saturday plans changed late Friday evening as I seemed to be hit by some kind of bug which laid me low for the night and all day Saturday. I was good for nothing but laying in bed and cuddling the cat. Today is a bit better though and I am up and about toying with the idea of making my husband a chocolate cake (his favorite.) This is a safe choice for me as it is not one of my favorites and he will be free to indulge himself entirely.

This afternoon, I plan to get back to the knitting of the Sursa shawl which I foolishly ripped out thinking I had made a mistake on the decreases but had not. It must have been a senior moment. Oh well, I guess I thought I needed the extra practice. This is a shawl I love wrapping myself in a chilly morning and as Fall seems near I want to have a new one.

While in bed, I had some pretty vivid dreams (technicolor) in which I ended up in a place with a very creative biker gang making art pieces and clothing out of brilliantly colored glass. Of course, I was intrigued by the whole process and was invited to try it. This stuff was amazing, so incredibly beautiful and fluid as it was worn. There is something to think about! Unfortunately, I woke up before I learned the secret process used. Darn! This morning, I was telling my husband about it and he thought I was delerious and still sick. All in all it is an interesting concept. I wonder if it could be done. H-m-m-m.

I did, however, come up with an idea for a great fulled (felted) bag in my sleep which should be very interesting. I plan to use Ozark Handspun and pieces of dyed fleece to decorate it and it should be pretty interesting. I have been designing for Ozark Handspun for a while and just love experimenting with this fabulous yarn and their fleece products. Additionally, David Gentsch and his wife Terri are a lot of fun so this is really a labor of love.

I've posted a photo of a fleece shawl I have made with one of their dyed fleeces. Hope you like it.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Today started with really good intentions of finishing a project or two. However, I was hijacked by my husband and "forced" to go to a yarn shop and out to lunch at a favorite thai restaurant. What could I do? I cooperated of course and when I arrived at the shop found they were having a SALE! Who can resist? I located some great felting yarns for a new purse design as well as some great Noro silk garden colors. A girl can't have enough silk garden yarn. I bought a set of purse handles for one of the bags they had felted for me. I can't wait to do the needle felting on it and the embellishment of the other bag.

Off and on today it has been sprinkling and the weather has cooled a bit so maybe Fall is on its way, I hope. I am really ready to snuggle up and knit my way through the winter. One project I am beginning to accumulate yarn is the Lizard Ridge blanket offered on Knitty.com as it has intrigued me for a while. It is done using short rows and I love the design.

I also picked up a booklet of Nora Gaughan patterns as they look very interesting in terms of design as well as learning some new techniques.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Here is a little experiment with various handspun yarns including Malabrigo, Manos, Rio de la Plata and Ozark Handspun as well as some of my own handspun. In creating this I used yarns from my stash and various stitch patterns and this is the result. I think it is kind of fun.

The Sursa shawl I have been working on had to be frogged back to the center as I did not decrease enough and it was going to be several miles long I think! I hate it when that happens and I lose track of where I am at in making something. Oh well, it is only knitting and I will just have to begin those decreases again. I am making this one out of Noro Silk Garden Lite and Hotaru held together in a mostly green colorway and so far I am liking it a lot. I'll post a photo when I get it done.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

On Saturday, September 29th, I'll be teaching freeform classes at Unwind, a lovely store in Burbank owned by Stephanie Steinhaus. This shop has a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere with lovely yarns and a very helpful staff. Classes will be ongoing from 11AM to 5PM and will cover an introduction to freeform for newcomers as well as more advanced approaches. Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

On Saturday, I had breakfast with two of my favorite people, Michelle and JoShell at the lovely Peach Cafe in Monrovia. Afterwards, we ventured next door to Unraveled, a gorgeous knitting store, filled with wonderful delights. I was teaching a class on modular knitting including miters and other techniques. As it was a very small group, things were very informal and we had a great time. Throughout the day, it rained and the sound of the storm was so refreshing as it has been pretty hot and parched around Southern California this year. We were all energized and smiling as we watched and listened to the sounds of rain drops.

My two darling friends gave me a little belated birthday party with a tiny little carrot cake with candle and, be still my heart, a gift certificate for yarn! What true fiber maniac could ask for anything more! It was very sweet and touching that they had gone to so much trouble. All in all, it was such a happy day and something that brought the week to a wonderful conclusion.

Needless to say, I considered all possibilities and decided to get yarn to make another Sursa shawl, which I must say is one of my favorite patterns. It is quick, easy and beautiful. So, I could not wait to get home and start on it.

About Me

My early years were spent in the redwoods of Northern California. I come from a long tradition of gifted artists and needlewomen, so my love of fibery things comes naturally. Part of my childhood was spent on a farm where my favorite animals were the sheep, of course! I have always sort of made things up as I went along, a born designer I suppose.
Over the years, I've enjoyed teaching a range of fiberarts ranging from quilting, spinning, dyeing, knitting and crocheting as well as millinery techniques through Parks and Recreation, junior colleges and upscale yarn shops. This continues to be my greatest joy.